Page 40 of When Morning Comes Around

“I should go and get Jake.”

Her heart sank.

He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Not because I want to go, but because we both need to think about this.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to have dinner tomorrow? Shit! I’m working the next two evenings at the restaurant. Friday? What are you doing on Friday night? Can we have dinner and talk about it?”

“I’d like to. I… I’m sure Dad will be fine.”

“I can come over here. We don’t need to go to Summer Lake. I can bring takeout. We can eat with him and then sit out back while he watches his shows, if that’s best.”

She had to smile. “That’d be wonderful.”

“Okay. I should go. I’ll see you then, but I’ll call you.”

She nodded, wishing they could get back to the part where their lips met, but he was already on the move.

“I’ll say a quick goodnight to Harvey on the way out.”

Her dad bid him a brief farewell, barely taking his attention off the television.

Sadie let them out and closed the front door behind them. Her heart sank when he gave her an awkward smile and said – “Goodnight then” – before jogging down the steps.

When he reached the bottom, he turned back, and the struggle on his face was easy to see.

“Fuck!” He hurried back up the steps and when he reached her, he cupped her face in his hands. “I don’t want to screw this up. If I do, it won’t be intentional.”

She reached up and gripped his wrists. “I know. We can take it slowly and see if there’s anything worth exploring.”

Shivers ran down her spine when his fingertips stroked her scalp. “There’s something here. Something between us.”

He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers, more firmly this time. She felt as though she needed to hold on to his wrists to keep herself upright.

When he lifted his head, his eyes shone in the reflection of the porch light. “I’ll call you tomorrow. We’ll have dinner on Friday.”

“Okay.”

This time, his kiss landed on her forehead, but it felt just as intimate.

“I have to go.”

“Goodnight, Dominic.”

“Goodnight, Sadie. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

He straightened up, and the way he smiled warmed her insides. This time, he didn’t stop at the bottom of the steps. He climbed back into his SUV, but as he pulled away, he put the window down and gave her a two-fingered salute.

She held up her hand as she watched him drive away. She stood there long after his taillights had disappeared. She shouldn’t get too excited. They’d have maybe a dinner or two and that would be it. But even that would be more excitement and more intimacy than she’d shared with a man in who knew how many years.

Chapter Ten

The sky was dark and cloudy, even the lake seemed gray and dull as Sadie drove down the east shore toward Summer Lake on Wednesday morning. Sometimes days like this made her feel down but today, she didn’t think anything could dim her spirits.

For the first time in a long time, she felt as though she had something to look forward to. She didn’t know how things would go with Dominic, but in a way, it didn’t matter. For right now, she had hope, she was excited, and that was so far outside of her normal that it was enough in itself. Perhaps they’d have dinner on Friday and decide that there was no point in trying to take things any further. If that turned out to be the case, it’d be fine. She just hoped that developing a friendship with him wouldn’t be out of the question, even if a relationship was.

---